Tag Archives: Da Vinci

Do "post-recession" consumers want the "simpler" things in life? Or do they really want the easy life?

Simple Does Not Equal Easy

Simplicity is often difficult to achieve, which would explain the phrase “deceptively simple.” (It’s one of those strange dichotomy-conundrum-oxymoron-type things. Take your pick.)

Whether in writing, design, engineering, or cooking recipes, simplicity is key to effectiveness. So it follows that the challenge of this post will be to not clutter it up with too many examples. (Note to self: edit!)

Simple is Sophisticated

Leonardo Da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Albert Einstein remarked that “everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Then there’s the famous KISS acronym (“Keep It Simple, Stupid”) credited to Lockheed Sunk Works engineer Kelly Johnson.

KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid - Easy to say, not so easy to do.

(Vigilante Grammarians will note that although KISS is often spelled out as “Keep it simple, stupid,” Johnson used it without the comma. The expression was not meant to imply that an engineer was stupid; just the opposite.)